Data transmission control methods and devices

Abstract

A method of controlling a radio access network entity of a data unit communication network is described, said radio access network entity being involved in providing a transport service to a radio terminal of said data unit communication network, said transport service being characterized by a set of values associated with respective service quality parameters, said method comprising: monitoring (S 30 ) a communication quality at the radio access level of a communication between said terminal and an access point of said radio access network, and setting (S 31 ) a congestion indication marking in data units of said transport service if said communication quality fulfils a radio communication degradation condition.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of controlling a network entity of a data unit communication network, said network entity being involved in providing respective transport services to a plurality of terminals of said data unit communication network, each transport service being characterized by a set of values associated with respective service quality parameters, said method comprising:
 monitoring for a presence of a collective feedback condition, and 
 if the presence of said collective feedback condition is determined:
 setting a congestion indication marking in data units of a defined group of said transport services, wherein said group is defined on the basis of values of one or more service quality parameters; 
 receiving, from at least one of the terminals in response to detecting said congestion indication marking, a message for adjusting a data transmission rate, said message indicating as an upper bound for said data transmission rate a value corresponding to a value associated with a minimum transmission capacity parameter for first transport services; and 
 collectively reducing transmission rates in all data sources using said defined group of transport services. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said data unit communication network is a cellular network, and the presence of said collective feedback condition is determined if one or both of a cell-level congestion condition and a transport network level congestion condition is detected. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said network entity is a radio access network entity. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said service quality parameters comprise a parameter that indicates a minimum transmission capacity, and said group is defined as all those transport services for which a current data rate exceeds a value corresponding to the value of said minimum transmission capacity parameter. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said group is defined on the basis of respective ranges of values of one or more of said service quality parameters. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein said service quality parameters comprise a Label and an Allocation and Retention Priority, and said group is defined based on a range of values of said Label and/or a range of values of said Allocation and Retention Priority. 
     
     
       7. A network entity for a data unit communication network, said network entity being arranged to be involved in providing respective transport services to a plurality of terminals of said data unit communication network, each transport service comprising a set of values associated with respective service quality parameters, said network entity comprising:
 a control element, comprising a processor, arranged for monitoring for a presence of a collective feedback condition, and 
 the control element further arranged, if the presence of said collective feedback condition is determined, for:
 setting a congestion indication marking in data units of a defined group of said transport services, wherein said group is defined on the basis of values of one or more service quality parameters; 
 receiving, from at least one of the terminals in response to detecting said congestion indication marking, a message for adjusting a data transmission rate, said message indicating as an upper bound for said data transmission rate a value corresponding to a value associated with a minimum transmission capacity parameter for first transport services; and 
 collectively reducing transmission rates in all data sources using said defined group of transport services.